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H. F. BRUCE.

WARDROBE TRUNK.

A APPLIC 9l6. 1,323,246. Patented Dec. 2,19i9. l I 3 EEEEEEEEEEEE l.

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WARDROBE TRUNK. APPucmon msu nec. 2. 191s.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Patented Dec. 2., 19149.

WZ-neq J.' i @www UNITED STATES PATENT oEEICE.

HERBERT ij. BRUCE, oE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIGNon, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, To

oSHKosH TRUNK COMPANY, or. osHKoSH, WISCONSIN, A CoRPonATIoN E wIs- CONSIN.

I l To' all lwhom t may concern Be it known that'I, HERBERT F. BRUGE., a citizen of the United States, residin at Chicago, in the county of Cook and tate of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wardrobe-Trunks, of which the following is a specification.

MyY invention relates in general to traveling rece tacles and more particularly to wardrobe trunks. It is necessary thattraveling receptacles, especially wardrobe trunks, should comprise adjustable means for retaining the articles smoothly and tightly in their packed positions, so that they' will :not be rumpled, or

` otherwise injured, by being shifted about wardrobe trunks in which'the garments, or other articles, are draped upon hangers,.and the` hangers -,suspended within a compart- 'ment7 it is desirable that the garments should be prevented from slipping upon ythe hangers; that the hangers should' be prevented from moving w-it inthe compartment;v

. and that the garments, regardless of whether they completely ll the compartment or not,

` should be smoothly retained in av compact space. The primary object of 'my mventlon 1s to provide a packing receptacle lwith unproved adjustable means for immovably retainlng the articles packed thereinl inv a compact spac'e so .that they will not slip lor shift about Vduring the trznsportationof the receptacle.

' A further vobject of myinvention to provide in a wardrobe trunk, S in which arv ticles' may be supported upon hangers with-V vto ina compartment, improvedmeans not only for retaining the articles and their supporting hangers immovable during the handling of the trunk, but also for compressing the articles tightly within thel compartmentin compact'condition.

A still further'object' of my invention is to provide an improved traveling receptacle which will b e simple in construction, convenientin use, and eiiicient in operation,

My invention will be more fully disclosed hereinafter4 with reference to `the accompanying drawings which the same is illus- Speeication of Letters Patent.

The section Alis `a hinged upwardly WARDROBELTBUNK trated as embodied in a convenient and praetical `form, andin which Figure l is a perspective view of a wardrobe trunk in open position, provided with Patented Decf2, 1919.

Application led December 2, 1916. Serial No. 134,730. i i

Fig. 3 1s a vertical central sectional view I through' the compartment in which the clothes are hung; v Y. Fig. 4 's an enlarged. vertical sectional view on lined-4 ofl Fig. 3 5

F1 5 isa vertical detalll section on the lineA 5 5 of Fig. 1, and 3 duri1`1g `tl1el rough handling to which baggage is subjected. In the. usual types of Fig. 6`is a erspective view of the lower end ofthe c othes retaining member, the

central portion being broken away.

The same reference characters are used to designate 'the same parts in the `several Iig` `the two sections of a wardrobe trunkof'the type comprisln'g two vertical parts-v hinged v togetherso as lto be relatively moved into. the open position shown in Figs ly and '2, or to be swung together toformv4 a complete closed trunk. Thesection A2 is shown as'A provided .with a series of drawers e2, while the section A1 comprises av large .compartment within whichlclothing,l or other articles, may be suspendedby suitable hangers.

ment. Y

C1 and. C2 designate rodssupported, at

the vopposite sides and near-the top ofthecompartment inthe sectionA1, suitable sup.-

'porting means being provided, such, for,f1n-

Sta-nce, as brackets C f, The rods C1 andv C2 wardly, as shown in Fig. 2, whenthe'trunk referably provided with' swlnging' cover B to morereadily permlt access to the compart-- is open. D'designates o ne of;tlie plurality of. clothes hangers 4which are'supported upon the rods C1 andC.l The ends of thehangers D aresho'wn ras` provided with notches di and in. their lower surfaces which restupon the rods C1 and C2, so that the .hangers may be readily moved from or placed upon,

edge of the member F is secured toa rod G,

so that when the rod is rotated, the length of the member between the same and the fixed edge f thereof may be varied. A ny suitable means may' be provided for fastening the free end of the member F to the rod G such as tacks, clamps or the like.

Secured to the inner surface of one of the side walls of the compartment in the section A1 of the trunk is a bracket H having flanges h1 and h2 suitably secured to the wall of the trunk. The portion of the bracket intermediate ofthe anges projects inwardly within the compartment and is provided with a series of spaced rectangular openings h substantially corresponding to the cross-section of the rod G which, as shown in Fig. 6, is square. Secured to the inner surface of the opposite wall of the compartment, in `the section A1 f the trunk, `is a bracket K preferably of a cross-section corresponding to that of the bracket H. Flan es lc1 and k2 are provided on the bracket whichA it is secured to the inner surface of the wall of the trunk, preferably Vin parallel relation to the bracket H. The central portion of the bracket K, which projects inwardly, is provided with a series of spaced bayonet slots Ic, which extend from the up er horizontal part of the bracket downwar ly into the vertical part thereof, and thence forwardly lto form seats within which is adapted to rest the reduced end g1 of the rod G. The portion of each of the slots 70,.

formed in the horizontal part of the bracket K, is of a length to permit the downward insertion therethrough of the collar g3, ad-

' shaft, which projects through the outside jacent the reduced portion g1 of the rod G. L designates a keeperbar overlying the bracket 'K and pivotally supported by Z1,

adjacent the rear wall of the section A1 of' the trunk. The front end of the keeper barI L is pivotally connected at Z2 to a` vertically reciprocating bar M supported upon`the inner surface of the adjacent wall of the trunk near the front edge of the section A1.

The upper end of the bar M is pivotally con' nected to a crank-arm n fixed to the inner end of a stub shaft N, extending through the wall of the trunk. The end of the stub of the wall of the trunk, has fixed thereto the hasp O of the trunk lock. Pivotally confabric of l by means of nected to the bar M are latches, such as m,

adapted, whenth'e two sections of the trunkv are closed, to engage staples o projecting from the section A2 of the trunk into the paths of the latchesm when the two sections of the trunk are closed together.

The keeper bar L is provided with aI projecting lian e Z along its lower edge which closely over ies bracket K when the bar M has been moved downwardly in locking the trunk." The ange Z thereby prevents any accidental disthe horizontalportion of the engagement of the end g1 of the rod G from the bracket KZ The'mann'er of using and operation of my invention are as follows: When the parts are in the positions shown in Fig. 2,'the hangers D may be moved along the rods C1 and C2., and their extensions@1 and 02, to permit the various hangers D to be readily removed so that articles may be removed from, or placed thereon. When it is desired to pack the trunk,the articles which are to be placed within the compartment in the section A1 are placed upon the hangers, and the hangers are then placed upon the supporting rods.

When all ofthe articles which it is desired to pack in the compartmenthave been placed upon hangers, the hangers are forced backwardly lwithin the compartment andthe extensionA of .therods moved inwardly,

so asto be zo-extensive with the .main pora tions of the rods. The liiexible retaining member Fis then placed around the portions of the articles which are draped over' the hangers, orover the hangers themselves when articles do not extend around their upper edges. The lower edge ofthe sald member F is rolled upon the rod G until the plane 'of the rod alines with thebrackets H and K. The end g2 of` the rod` l'is then forced backwardly so as to compress ,the

articles and engage in one of the rectangularopenings h in the bracketH. The opposite"-y end of the rod G` is then forced'inwardly above the bracket K and below .the keeper bar L, and engaged with one vof the openings lc approximately opposite the open- I ing h whlch has been enga edrby the' end g2 of the rod, see Fig. 5. he reduced end g1 of the rod is engaged within the "seat 'at vthe lower forward end of such opening k, and the outward pressure of the articles tends to retain'the endg2 of the rod securely in engagement' with the bracket K. 'i

The cover B is then closed andthe two vsec- 5,

- tions of the .trunk swung together sjb that when the hasp O is rotated outwardly to engage its keeper, or approximately 90, the i latches m are swung downwardly into "engagement with the staples n through the downward movement imparted tothe bar M by the oscillation of the stub shaftA N and crank arm fn. `'I his downward movement. of

the bar M swings downwardly the outer end of the keeper bar L, so that the flange Z ,thereof overlies the upper ends of the various openings ,7c in thebar K and positively prevents the disengagement of the end g1 of the rod G fromthe bracket K.

When the trunk isl again opened, and itis v desiredv to remove the articles which are supported upon the hangers the end g1 of the rod G is first disengaged from the bracket K, lwhich may be readily done by forcing the. said end of the rod backwardly and upwardly, this disengagement from the bracket being permitted, owing to the pre-` vious lifting of the keeper bar L during the unlocking of the trunk. The opposite end.

plishes this inasmuch as it overlies and presses downwardly `upon the portions of Ythe articles which overlie the upper edges of the hangers, thereby not only preventing the articles from slipping upwardly and downwardly, but also laterally, upon the hangers. It will further be seen that the flexible" retaining member holds the articles within a compact space within the compartment through the engagement of the ends of the rods with the brackets, thereby not only enabling the full capacity' of the compartment to be utilized when needed, but alsoretaining compact relation whatever articles may be placed within the compartment whether they'completely or only partially fill the same.

While I have'illustrated and described my invention as2applied to awardrobe trunk, it will be understood that it4 is capable of. application generally to traveling receptacles, or to cases in Whichv articles are to be tightly and imniovably packed for storage or shipment, and while I have described more or less precisely the details of construction, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself thereto, as I contemplate changes in form andthe proportion of parts and the substitution of equivalent-s as ,circumstances may suggest or render expedientl without departing from the spirit of my invention.

lVhat I claim is: l

l. The combination with a packing receptacle, of a iexible cover and retaining member secured 'at one end adJacent one side of Y the receptacle and adapted to cover thearticles lpacked therein, a rod to whichfthel other end ofI said member is secured, and means for adjustably supporting. said rod and positively holding` it in diii'erent positions within the receptacle to retain saidmember tightly around the articles packed 1n the receptacle,

2. Thecombination with a packing receptacle, of a flexible cover and retaining mem-` ber secured at one end adjacent one sidejof' the receptacle, a rod to which the other end of said member is secured and around-which itis adapted to be rolled, and means Ifor non-rotatably supporting said rod and positively holding it in different positions within the receptacle to retain said membery tightly around the articles packed in the receptacle.

3. The combination with a packing receptacle, of a flexible cover and retaining member securedvat one end ladjacent one side of the receptacle, a rod to which the other end of said member is secured and around which it is adapted to be rolled', and Ameans `for.l

non-rotatably supporting said rod at predetermined positions within said receptacle to retain said member tightly around any pre-` determined qu'ant'ity of articles packedl in the receptacle. a 4. The combination with a packingreceptacle, of a flexible retaining member secured at .one end adjacent one side of the recep-y tacle, a rod towhich the other end of said member is secured, and brackets secured to the opposite inner surfaces of the sides of i said receptacle having openings to be removably engaged by the ends of said rod.

5. In combination with a packing receptacle, ofja' flexible retaining member secured at oneend adjacent one'side of the rece tacle, a rod to which the other end of said member is secured and around which it is adapted to be rolled, and bra'cketssecnred to the inner surfaces of theopposite walls:

of said receptacle having openingsl to receiveand non-rotatably support the ends of said rod. 4 I y 6.. The combination with a packing receptacle, of a flexible Vretaining member secured at one end .adjacent one side of the recep l tacle, a rod to which the otherend ofsaid member is secured and around which it isp` adapted to be rolled, a bracket secured to the inner surface-of one side wall of the receptacle having spaced angular holes to nonv rotatably receive one end of said rod-, 'a sec.- ond bracket securedto the inner surface of the opposite side Wall having'spacedslots' to receivethe opposite end of said rod', and

means for preventing the disengagement of l the endof saldrod from the slots said' second bracket. i

trunk comprisinga vertical sect-ion having 7. The combination with aA "wardrobev t ably securing t e de endm the trunk' body for closing said upper end,

'fof garment hanger raiis mounted 1n the to be'extended forwardly over the tops of upper portion adjacent the open end of said section, garment hangers slidably mounted on said rails,a flexible retaining member secured at one end adjacent the rear of the open .upper end` of said `section and adapted said hangers and'to depend from the front one of said han ers, and means foradjustf" end of said member between lthe -slde wa ls of-,said section. i

8. The combination withy a wardrobe trunk comprising a vertical section open at l its front, of garment hanger rails mounted which the depending end of said member is secured, and means for adjustably supporting said rod within said'section to retain said member tightly )around the articles packed therein. l

9. The combination with a ,wardrobe trunk comprising a vertical section open at its front, of garment hanger rails mounted in the upper portion of said section, garment hangers slidably mounted on said rails, a iiexi'ble retaining member secured at one end adjacent the rear of the upper end of said section and adaptedtobe extended forwardly over the tops of said hangers and to depend in front of said hangers, a rod to which the depending end of said member is sesections adapted to stand on end and hinge vtogether along yadjoining vertical edges to adapt the trunk sections to open outwardly f away from each other when the trunk is standing on end, a lock for retaining said cured, and brackets secured to the opposite 'inner surfaces of .the sides of said section having openings to be non-rotatably engaged b the ends of said rod.

10. T e combination with a .wardrobe trunk divided vertically to form two trunk 'sections in closed position, clothes hanging elements su ported withinv one of said trunk 1 sections, a exibleretaining member secured Y' atene edge adjacent the rear of the upper Vend'of said section `and adapted to'extend forwardlyk and. around said hanger elements,

rsaid hangerleleinenta-and means actuated bysaid lock for preventing the disengagement of said member' from said means.

11. The combination with a wardrobe"` v trunk divided vertically to form two trunk means *"withinfsaid lsection for adjustablyl kholdingftheloitfer end of said member f v ,position toretam the-same tightly aroundy sections adapted to stand on end and hinge together along adjacent vertical'edges to adapt the trunk sections to be opened outwardly away from each other when the trunk is standing on end, the top of one of said -sections belng hinged to swing upwardly when the trunk isopen, clothes hanger elements removably supported within said latter section, a exible retaining member secured at one edge adjacent the rear of the upper open end of said section and adapted to extend over and around/'said hanger elements, and means for adjustably securing the dependin end of-said member between the side wal s of saidsection to tightly retain said member around said elements.

12. A wardrobe trunk comprising a trunk body divided vertically into two sections which arehinged together, one of said sec- ,tions having an upper open end, a cover hinged to the trunk body for closing said upper end, garment hanger rails mounted in Cthe upper portion of said open end section, garment hangers slidably mounted on said rails, a lock for securing said sections in closed position, a'flexible retaining member secured at oneJ edge adjacent the rear j of the open upper end of said section and adapted to extend forwardly over the'tops of said hangers and to depend in front of '95 said hangers, a rod to which the depending end of said member is secured, brackets secured to the opposite inner lsurfaces of said section having openings to be removably engaged by the ends of said rod, and means Hactuated by said lock for preventing the dis- 1 engagement of said rod from said brackets. 13. The combination of a wardrobe trunk comprising a vertical section having an upper open end, and a cover hinged to the trunk adapted for closing said upper end, garment hangersslidably mounted in the upper portion of said open end of said section, a flexible retaining member secured at one end adjacent the rear open end of said section and adapted to be extended forwardly over the tops of said hangers, and means for adjustably securing the depending end ofsaid member betweenl the side walls of said section, substantially as de- 11 5 scribed. i

14. The combination with a trunk pro# vided w1th two Vpoint suspension garment -hangershaving upper horizontal portions over which garments are draped and tracks `upon which said hangers are slidably supported, of al garment retainer therefor comprising exlble means connected to the l,trunk and extending over -the horizontal portions and the garments thereon and 125 downwardly in front of the hangers in direct en agement therewith, and means for adjusta ly vconnecting the lower portion of the flexible means to the trunk for main-l taining the hangers and tracks upon which said hangers are slidarbly mounted, of a garment retainer therefor, connected to the. trunk, said re- Y tainer extending over the hangers and down- 10 wardly netween the tracks `in front of the hangers, and :means for causing the retainer to bear downwardly on top of the hangers.`

or clothing suspended over 'thehangers in direct engagement therewith, and inwardly against the front of the suspended clothing 15 for maintaining the hangers and garments in compact position. In testimony whereofs I have subscribed my name. l

o HERBERT F, BRUCE. 

